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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal columnHome > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2009 > September > 17
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Maloney needs only three fans
If nobody is there to see it, does it really count? Well, yes, it does, but Matt Maloney wouldn’t have cared if they only folks in Great American Ball Park Thursday were his mother, father and fiance.
There were barely more than that.
With an announced crowd of 9,685, the Florida Marlins should have felt as if they were playing in the comfort of their own North Miami home, where there are more alligators within a mile radius than baseball fans.
With cell phone conversations discernible two sections apart all night, the Cincinnati Reds put a crimp in Florida’s wild card aspirations with a 3-2 victory, the Reds’ eighth straight home victory, most of them played in relative silence and with enough empty red chairs to seat the Ohio homeless.
The Reds lit into Florida starter Anibal Sanchez for three first-inning runs on Darnell McDonald’s leadoff home run and a two-out two-run soft flare single to left field by Jay Bruce.
Matt Maloney wobbled inning after inning with that 3-0 lead, but never toppled, pitching four scoreless innings before the Marlins scored their two runs in the fifth.
Maloney didn’t care how many or how few were in the park. With his mother, father and fiancé in the house, he was happy to get the start in place of Johnny Cueto (flu-like symptoms) and happy to be back on the mound after he was skipped a turn with a blister.
It all resulted in his first career major-league victory.
He gave up two runs and seven hits in five innings, then watched the bullpen of Ramon Ramirez, Arthur Rhodes, Nick Masset and Coco Cordero combine for no runs and one hit over the final four.
“That was awesome,” said Maloney. “Got the beer shower and the game scorecard. My finger was sore, but I was able to get through it and keep the ball down.”
Maloney survived because he ignored the cutter, the pitch that caused the blister. He stuck with an effective sinker, then went into the clubhouse to sweat out his one-run lead.
“I was in here talking to Homer Bailey and trying not to think about it too much,” said Maloney. “I was anxious, but the bullpen guys just nailed it down.”
McDonald, who homered to lead the bottom of the first, was playing in place of a resting Drew Stubbs.
“Stubbs has played every day since he has been here,” said manager Dusty Baker. “Time to give him a day off. I have another good center fielder in Darnell, too. Drew will be strong and better down the stretch if you give him a day off now and then, a mental day off. He’ll be back in there (tonight).”
It was a night for stand-ins — McDonald and Maloney — and of Maloney Baker said, “He ran out of gas in the fifth, but we tried to stick with him, which we did.”
McDonald gave up three hits for two runs in the fifth and had two outs with the tying run on second. Instead of lifting him, Baker stuck with Maloney so he could get the final out to qualify for the win.
Maloney retired Cody Ross on a pop up to first.
“Then our bullpen came on to do a great job because rarely do you score three in three in the first, then don’t score any more and end up winning,” Baker added. “Matt battled through the fifth inning and we were all pulling for him so he could get that first win.
“It’s fun for me to give a guy like Maloney the lineup card when he gets his first win,” said Baker. “Back in the day, I wish I would have had mine. Memorabilia stuff wasn’t as important as it is now.”
Maloney said he planned to give the lineup card to his dad, Joe, “And let him take care of it.”
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TweetGomes: ‘This one’s for you’
AS I WALKED toward the field Wednesday before the pre-game ceremonies on Hal McCoy Night, I passed Jonny Gomes and he said, “Hey, Hal, I’m going to try to hit one for you tonight.”
Anybody who has watched Gomes knows that he tries to HIT ONE every time he swings the bat, swings as if he is trying to land a ball in Sparta, Ky.
After the ceremony, I joined family and friends in the outdoor Frontgate suite next to the press box and was not paying attention when Gomes came to bat in the top of the second, leading off, carrying a 3 for 24 slide with him.
On a 0-and-1 pitch, he put the torch to one, blasting a home run off the front facade of the upper deck.
I casually turned to my wife, Nadine, and said, “He hit that for me.” I was kidding.
BUT WHEN I walked into the clubhouse today, Gomes called me to his locker. When I got there, he proudly handed me the bat with which he hit the home run, complete with the pine tar on the handle and several dents on the barrel.
He had written in silver ink on the black barrel, “To Hal, Thanks for the support. HR #20 on Hal McCoy Day, Sept. 16th, 2009.”
Now I ask you, how cool is that? How neat is that? That’s the best thing a player has done for me along those lines since Ken Griffey Jr. handed me the baseball he hit for his 30th home run one year for the Reds.
That was the year Griffey had one home run in April and fans were all over him. I wrote in a column, “If Ken Griffey Jr. doesn’t hit 30 home runs this year, I’ll eat this column on Courthouse Square and bring my own ketchup.”
Well, I had no idea Griffey knew about that column. So it was late August in Washington when Griffey tagged No. 30. After the game, he walked past me and flipped me the ball he hit for No. 30 and it was similarly inscribed: “Hal, thanks for the loyalty and support. Home run No. 30,” and that date and his signature were on it.
HAL McCOY NIGHT beyond description, a memorable day in my life. The Cincinnati Reds were so classy and it shows they either understand my job or have a great sense of humor. I haven’t been that kind to them over the past few losing seasons, but the show they put on for me Wednesday as outrageously awesome.
I can’t begin to thank everybody but know that everything everybody did for me was deeply appreciated. And I thoroughly enjoyed the one-hour autograph session in the Hall of Fame Wednesday. I was astouned how many fans were there, a steady line and a steady flow. It was fantastic to chat with the fans.
And you know those pictures of me they sold for $5 for me to autograph? I didn’t get a cent of it. Honest. But it was nice of them to tell me it was the most successful signing session they ever had and they ran out of pictures.
The night was a blur and I’ll have to watch the DVD to drink it all in.
THEN THE night became crystal clear in a heartbeat. I got home at 12:30 a.m. and was sitting in my Man Cave (the garage) smoking a Cuban Romeo y Julieta cigar given to me my Jeff Piecoro when I heard my wife, Nadine, screaming in the kitchen.
I ran in and discovered she had sliced her finger with a pair of scisscors, a deep ugly wound. I wanted to call 911, but she said, “Not for $900 you aren’t.” Being the trouper she is, she drove herself to emergency (with me in the passenger seat because I am unable to drive), bleeding all over the steering wheel.
We got to Emergency and they told us, “Have a seat, it’s a four-hour wait.” A few minutes later, either a doctor or a male nurse (he had on green scrubs) walked through some double doors, looked at me and said, “What are you doing here? I was just looking at your picture in the paper and I walk out and here you are.”
I said, “My wife tried to cut her finger off.”
A few minutes later, we were inside (thank you, whoever you are) and she was fixed up. She is wearing a wrap that makes her left hand look like a first baseman’s mitt, but again being the trouper she is, she went to school to her teaching job this morning.
No0w I[‘m in the press box tonight, ready to cover the Reds-Marlins game and finding it difficult to concentrate. After last night, tonight is a downer.
Thanks, EVERYBODY, and thanks, Jonny Gomes, for making it even more special.
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